Patricia Mukhim
The Gujarat elections brought out the worst from all parties involved. Some Congress veterans who graduated from the best institution of the country now claim they did not know the Hindi nuances of the word ‘neech’ which was used to describe Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. That the same Congressman earlier used the word chai-walllah in a demeaning sort of way to define the future prime minister of this country just shows how intemperate language can kill the soul of political discourse. Also there is a hubris which the diplomat turned politician carries with him as do many of the Queen’s English speaking type of politicians that the Congress has in its fold. However, the Prime Minister too should not have plunged himself into the cesspool of politics to the extent of forgetting that he is the Prime Minister of the country and not just a party worker out to redeem his party the BJP from imminent disaster in Gujarat, at any cost. As the Prime Minister of India, Mr Modi embodies the hopes and dreams of 1.3 billion people; as a leader of the BJP and an RSS pracharak he represents a political party that not all Indians subscribe to. There is a clear divide between the two and the PM ought to have restrained himself from taking on a purely political role in a state election.
Meanwhile, the Congress Party seems to have recovered its bearings with the crowning of the Nehru-Gandhi scion recently. Many who felt that the Indian political system which derives its ethos from democracy needed to have a credible and strong opposition, now rest their hopes on Rahul Gandhi to provide them the leadership that his late grandmother Indira and his father Rajiv Gandhi did. So far Rahul Gandhi has put his best foot forward as far as media interactions post his elevation to the post of Party President are concerned. He has been temperate with the choice of words and seems to have made progress since the time that Arnab Goswami trapped him into putting his foot in his mouth. However, the fact that Rahul Gandhi too had to do a temple hopping exercise in order to keep pace with his rivals in the BJP suggests that the Congress Party too might take an about turn insofar as its commitment to secularism as it is enshrined in the Constitution is concerned. Secularism does not mean pandering to any religious community or relegating adherents of one religion to the status of a minority and others a majority. Democracy requires that all religions are treated with equal respect. And why do citizens have to be defined by their religions anyway? Isn’t this what is inhibiting the potential of India to become a superpower? A country divided against itself cannot prosper, the good book says. When will this country rise above the nasty attempts to politicise every single space and institution? If it was the so-called Left liberals earlier, now that space has turned Right, quality be damned!
Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura are headed for the polls and electioneering has begun in right earnest. By February-March 2018 the three states should have new governments in place. In the North East, politicians have so far refrained from using ‘neech’ language and on heaping stinging remarks against political opponents. After all, when the elections are over, political rivals have to work together in the larger interests of the state and people. Language that polarises and appeals that communalise are not in the best interests of a polity that is racially so diverse and which follows different belief systems. Without a common respect for all religions, we would be negating the very idea of India which has stood the test of time. Most of us were therefore shocked by the language used against the minority community by certain BJP leaders. One of them said he was ready to die to defend Hinduism against repeated onslaughts on it. There are those who make pointed references to “Muslims” as being more loyal to their faith than to the country. These sort of lewd attacks on religious minorities are certainly mischievous and destructive. It is ironic that the Election Commission of India turns a blind eye to such remarks which are intended to instigate and inflame.
There is also a view that is gaining ground in the country today that both Christianity and Islam are religions that proselytize and that they convert their adherents into the faith and then look down on non-converts as pagans or infidels. While this is true of both Islam and Christianity and sometimes missionaries have been at the forefront of promoting a western mode of worship which makes it difficult for the tribes of the region to identify with their fellow Indian brethren, to undo this by aggressively pushing in the Hindutva ideology is catastrophic. Of course it would be naïve to say that religion should be left out of politics. This is easier said than done. Why can’t we just live and let live? Why do we need to preach against another religion? Why do we need to compare between religions and develop a religious hubris that exudes a sense of superiority because it is the only religion that can save humans from eternal damnation?
Religion has to do with the soul and spirit. It is and should be a personal faith. Mixing religion with politics is toxic. In a democracy, what religious leaders of all hues need to preach to their captive audience is that they should vote candidates with certain desirable qualities and avoid electing those with a track record of corruption. Why should people vote a candidate just because he belongs to their faith? And why should religious leaders go around campaigning for candidate A or B and start a whispering campaign within church/temple/mosque circles? This is destructive to say the least. I was speaking to a non-tribal friend in Shillong. He was earlier a supporter of the BJP but later said he lost respect for the Party after it appointed a temple priest, Yogi Adityanath as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Now every religious leader would also want to wield political power since a precedence has been set. Is this good for India? Personally I think it is disastrous, and why a politically suave Modi would do such a thing is beyond comprehension. Of course if building the Ram temple at Ayodhya is the overriding factor and a political priority, never mind the decrepit state of health, deaths of infants due to encephalitis and poor law and order in Uttar Pradesh, then Yogi Adityanath will indeed feed Hindu pride. But is this going to take India anywhere?
It would be in the best interests of the North East and of our own state of Meghalaya to remain vigilant at attempts to polarise voters along religious and communal lines. We cannot afford to be divided because we are already small communities fragmented by tribal allegiances. Election comes once in five years but we have to live as neighbours and friends for as long as we are on this earth. Let’s not take a short view of life. There’s more to life and human relations that we need to cherish and respect. Let politics not colour our views and spread hatred where there was none! We need politics to govern ourselves not that politics should govern us. The government we elect must serve all constituents and not just those who voted for it. Amen!